REMIGIJUS RANČYS PROJECT OLIVIA GONGAS
REMIGIJUS RANČYS PROJECT OLIVIA GONGAS
Remigijus Rančys – gs, keyb, perc, voc, composer
Laimonas Jančas – g, voc
Paulius Adomėnas – bg, voc
Domanatas Razmus – dr, perc, voc
The Birštonas Jazz’s audience has repeatedly enjoyed the creativity of Remigijus Rančys. He has introduced new personal programs on this scene, appeared in various formations, sided in the projects of his colleagues.
A versatile musician and multi-instrumentalist finds inspiration in books, good films, and impressions he brings from exotic countries. The language of music allows him to reflect on what is difficult to describe in words.
“I would like my listeners to discover new territories, broaden the limits of their perception,” admitted the musician, freely diving in the most diverse music styles.
And he succeeds in his goals. Remigijus draws creative spark from Brazilian, African, Chinese, Japanese, Indian musical cultures.
The project Olivia Gongas will intertwine jazz, world, indie and experimental music as well. But it will be more personal and intimate than his other projects and will present the leader of the group in a new capacity: Remigijus will play various guitars, keyboards, percussion and will sing.
According to him, the project was inspired by the pandemic and other current issues, coded in the title of the program. “Peace and nature today need bells and gongs – many of our compositions will be about it,” the leader briefly described the idea of the project.
Recently, the performers have documented this program in their new release – this performance is dedicated to its presentation.
For this project, Rančys has gathered together talented musicians, with whom he has performed many times in the past.
Remigijus Rančys graduated as the saxophonist from the Rytmiske Hojskole in Denmark and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and also as a flutist and pedagogue from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. He also plays keyboards and percussion, composes and arranges, enjoys collaboration with formations of different profile and appears in educational projects for children.
The Vilnius Jazz Orchestra, one of Rančys’ most ambitious groups uniting leading Lithuanian jazz musicians, has performed in Birštonas Jazz many times. It has also enriched other international events in Lithuania and abroad. Recently, the musician has been giving many concerts in Lithuania and abroad, recording music albums with his own swing group The Schwings Band.
With various collectives Rančys performed in Spain, the Netherlands, Latvia, Belarus, the Ukraine, Sweden, Denmark and Poland.
Laimonas Jančas studied at the Department of Jazz of Klaipėda University and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. The guitarist began to publicly perform while still a student: he was part of the Klaipėda University Big Band, the group Amberlife and other jazz projects, played in Šiauliai with funk band Gin’Gas, and performed with the LAMT Big Band not only in Lithuania but also abroad.
Jančas is interested in various music genres and styles. He plays in Woo Jazz events, collaborates closely with pop musician Saulius Prūsaitis and his group Happyendless, has collaborated with this performer in the theatre production Expulsion at the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre.
The guitarist performs Indian music with the group Navadvipa, involving like-minded musicians Vytautė Pupšytė and bassist Paulius Adomėnas; plays his own songs with the group Inkilai.
Paulius Adomėnas started playing the bass guitar as a teenager – in the beginning he studied it privately, later he continued his education at the Vilnius Conservatoire and the LAMT.
The bassist has performed with the most creative Lithuanian pop and alternative music representatives: Saulės Kliošas, Happyendless, Insearch, Leon Somov and Jazzu, Jurga Šeduikytė, Ieva Narkutė, Saulius Prūsaitis and others.
The musician also composes instrumental and vocal music and has repeatedly won prizes at the Vilnius Jazz Young Power competition organised by the Vilnius Jazz Festival.
Domantas Razmus is a young Lithuanian drummer and percussionist appearing on jazz and improvised music scene. He is also a composer. He began his professional career at the age of eighteen, winning an audition for the Travelling Youth Orchestra, with which he performed in France and the Baltic countries.
The drummer has a master’s degree in contemporary music and improvisation from the LAMT, studied at the Prince Claus Conservatory in the Netherlands under the Erasmus exchange program. Currently, he is a freelance musician and pedagogue.
He plays in Castor Stetson, Honkin’ dudes, Laivo Troupe, Lithuanian JJazz Orchestra and Veronica Chichi Quartet. Various projects brought him on stage with many Lithuanian jazz and improvised music greats, including Liudas Mockūnas, Arnas Mikalkėnas, Kęstutis Vaiginis, Jievaras Jasinskis, Liutauras Janušaitis, Vytis Smolskus, Klaudijus Štuopinis, Dmitrij Golovanov and Vytis Nivinskas.
Domantas has appeared in all major jazz festivals in Lithuania, as well as participated in contemporary music festivals in Raseiniai, Druskomanija and Jauna Muzika.
Razmus is a winner of several Vilnius Jazz festivals: in 2012, as a member of R.A.D.D. he won Grand Prix at the Vilnius Jazz Young Power competition; in 2016, claimed the same award with TDT and in 2018 – with Jurevičius Group. In 2017, he garnered first prize at the Tamsta Drumday competition.
